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Saturday, December 15, 2018

Bullish on India as a market place as well as a manufacturing hub, leading aircraft maker Airbus today said it has begun sourcing components for almost all its jets from the country and aims to take its cumulative sourcing from there to USD 2 billion in the next five years.Showering fulsome praise for the Modi government's Make in India campaign, Airbus said it's making large number of products in the country, either directly or through its supply partners, where collectively more than 5,000 people are employed."It's a great initiative and we are already pushing for it in a big way. We have done a lot of 'Make in India' of our own and we would do much more, going forward," the European giant's Managing Director for India Srinivasan Dwarkanath told the media at the Paris International Air Show.The company's latest A380 aircraft, which is being displayed here, has got evacuation slides for all its eight doors made in Bangalore while there are many other products that the company is getting made in India. "Almost all our products have got India-made parts," he said.Dwarkanath said there are broadly four areas of focus for Airbus in India -- engineering, services for customers, aerospace partnerships and R&D innovation."Some of the common themes across all these focus areas are skill development, jobs and getting and transmitting the know-how," said Dwarkanath, who is the Vice-President for International Cooperation, South and South-East Asia, besides being MD for Airbus India.Airbus' own centre in Bangalore for engineering has got more than 350 engineers working in core engineering functions while there are over 2,000 people across the supply chain in this segment.Two offshore development centres are also employing 300 people each, he added.In the aerospace segment, Airbus has got over 40 suppliers and partners, including the Tatas and the Mahindras."Across the supply chain, more than 5,000 people are working, including one-third on the manufacturing side, exclusively for Airbus products. Our target for the next five years is to source USD 2 billion worth products from India cumulatively up to 2020," he said, while adding that the growth in the past 10 years has already been of about 12 times.

India Post has announced its full-fledged entry into e-commerce business, where it will leverage its parcel business for end-to-end delivery of products.“We have simplified decision-making process at Department of Posts (DoP) by setting up a separate parcel directorate. It can make quick decision on parcel rates and related provisions. India Post will leverage its vast network for e-commerce services for doorstep delivery of products,” Communications Minister Manoj Sinha told reporters.The minister also launched India Post’s e-commerce portal.Earlier, any decision related to change in parcel delivery rates or matching services of private players required approval from top officials, which was time-consuming. The DoP has set up parcel directorate which is free to take decision to match the competition.“India Post is open for registration of all vendors for e-commerce business. It will pick up products from vendor and deliver to doorstep of customers,” Sinha said. India Post has delivery network up to remotest villages through its 1.55 lakh post offices which no one can match, the minister said.“We will also facilitate return of products service like it is available for customers on other e-commerce platforms,” India Post Secretary A N Nanda said.Sinha said the department will strictly monitor delivery of products. “The credibility that DoP has built over the years is immense. We will suitably resolve complaints whenever we receive them,” the minister said.

India's Centre for Development of Advanced Computing and France's IT services company Atos Saturday signed a three-year industrial contract for designing, building and installing the BullSequana, its high-performance supercomputers, in the country.The signing ceremony took place in the presence of Jean Yves Le Drian, French minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs and Ajay Prakash Sawhney, secretary - Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.It was signed between Hemant Darbari, Director General of C-DAC, and Pierre Barnab, chief operating officer - Big Data & Security at Atos.Speaking at the ceremony, Jean said the agreement will deepen our bilateral ties."India and France have a strategic partnership and we are two nations that innovate a lot. It is true that supercomputers are a necessity and not a luxury. We often say that data for the 21st century is what oil was to the 20th century, we are using data in a massive way and that raises questions of ethics. India and France share not only interests but also values that require us to use technology for good for humanity," he said."India and France have the same vision of what cyberspace should and we would like to deepen our cooperation in areas of cyberspace in R&D or regulation for digital technology," Jean added.This contract has been awarded to Atos under the National Supercomputing Mission (NSM), a scheme of Rs 45 billion, aimed at creating a network of over 70 high-performance supercomputing facilities for various academic and research institutions across India.This contract is of special importance as Atos has become India's preferred industrial partner in a highly strategic field, according to a statement by the French Embassy.The delivery of BullSequana supercomputers is expected to start in early next year, it said.

IT major Infosys has announced the acquisition of majority stake in Hitachi Procurement Service (HPS), a fully owned subsidiary of Hitachi.For the deal, aimed at setting up a joint venture between Panasonic, Pasona an Hitachi, the Bengaluru-based IT services will acquire 81% stake in HPS for JPY 2,762 million (approximately Rs 174 crore).Other three companies in the JV will be minority stakeholders, as per the agreement. Hitachi will transfer 2% each to Panasonic and Pasona, and will hold the remaining 15%.However, according to the company, the final amount paid for the deal depends on the closure of the deal. The transaction is an all cash deal.The JV is expected to accelerate business process transformation leveraging digital procurement platforms for the local and global needs of Japanese corporations.Procurement process“This joint venture will help Japanese corporations transform their procurement processes using next-generation digital platforms, as we bring together the combined power of deep procurement expertise, technology, global expertise and local skills,” Ravi Kumar, President, Infosys said in a statement.The transaction is expected to close on or before April 1, 2019 and is aimed at helping Infosys strengthen its presence in Japan and invest in local capabilities to serve the local and global needs of Japanese corporations.

Trend Micro Incorporated, a global leader in cybersecurity solutions, today released its 2019 predictions report, warning that attackers will increase the effectiveness of proven attack methods by adding more sophisticated elements to take advantage of the changing technology landscape. The report, Mapping the Future: Dealing with Pervasive and Persistent Threats, highlights the growing threats faced by consumers and organizations that are exacerbated by the increasingly connected world.

“As we head into 2019, organizations must understand the security implications of greater cloud adoption, converging IT and OT, and increasing remote working,” said Greg Young, vice president of cybersecurity for Trend Micro. “Cybercriminals will continue to follow a winning formula – exploiting existing flaws, social engineering and stolen credentials – to drive profits. As both the corporate attack surface and unknown cyber threats increase, it’s more important than ever for organizations to put more resources behind employee education to help protect against these growing attacks.”

The role of social engineering in successful attacks against businesses and individuals will continue to increase throughout the year. Since 2015, the number of phishing URLs blocked by Trend Micro has increased by nearly 3,800 percent. This offsets the lessening reliance on exploit kits, which has decreased by 98 percent in the same time. Additionally, attackers will continue to rely on known vulnerabilities that remain unpatched in corporate networks for 99.99 percent of exploits, as this remains a successful tactic.

“The full range of known and unknown threats can never be addressed by one single technology. In 2019, enterprises should not look for a silver bullet, but a mix of threat defense techniques that complement each other and work together,” said Nilesh Jain, Vice President, India and Southeast Asia, Trend Micro.

Trend Micro also predicts attackers will leverage these proven methods against growing cloud adoption. More vulnerabilities will be found in cloud infrastructure, such as containers, and weak cloud security measures will allow greater exploitation of accounts for cryptocurrency mining. This will lead to more damaging breaches due to misconfigured systems.

Attackers will also implement emerging technologies like AI to better anticipate the movements of executives. This will lead to more convincing targeted phishing messages, which can be critical to BEC attacks. Additionally, it is likely that BEC attacks will target more employees who report to C-level executives, resulting in continued global losses.

SIM swapping and SIM-jacking will be a growing threat to take advantage of remote employees and everyday users. This attack method allows criminals to hijack a cell phone without the user’s knowledge, making it difficult for consumers to regain control of their devices. Additionally, the smart home will be an increasingly attractive target for attacks that leverage home routers and connected devices.

IT services firm Larsen & Toubro Infotech has appointed former Cognizant senior executive Nachiket Deshpande as its Chief Operating Officer.In his last role as the Senior Vice President & Global Delivery Head for the Banking and Financial Services unit at Cognizant Technology Solutions, he was responsible for global delivery and P&L across all services lines, products, and platforms, as well as driving large-scale skills transformation.In a career spanning more than two decades, he has held management positions in the US, Europe, and Asia across delivery, practice building and client facing roles.Sanjay Jalona, Chief Executive Officer & Managing Director, LTI, said, “Nachiket joins us at an exciting phase of LTI’s transformation as customers entrust us with solving their unique challenges. He brings extensive experience and diverse capabilities to continue our growth . On behalf of the entire organization, I welcome him to LTI and wish him unprecedented success with scaling operations, globally.”Speaking about his appointment, Nachiket Deshpande, said, “LTI is at the forefront of building the next generation IT Services company, and I am excited to be part of this outstanding team. We will be bolstering the industry expertise and deep technology capabilities that have made LTI the growth leader in the sector.”Nachiket brings more than 23 years of rich experience and holds a degree in electronics engineering from the College of Engineering, Pune, India.

Curated by Bengaluru’s well known celebrity designer Ramesh Dembla, Fashionable One at 1MG – Lido Mall will take place on the 14th and 15th of December 2018 at 7pm. Madhurima Tuli, Bollywood and Sandalwood actress will amplify the glamour dose as she walks the ramp as the show stopper. Keeping a pulse on the fashion industry, Ramesh Dembla’s show will feature a trademark style that is modern, elegant but not conventional. The glitzy evening will also showcase the winners of the model hunt Ishana Yadav and Ibrahim Khan.Commenting on the initiative, Suman Lahiri, Chief Operating Officer, 1MG -Lido Malls commented, “This December, temperatures will soar. We are absolutely thrilled and look forward a successful fifth edition. Being the signature annual fashion property, Fashionable One intends to uphold the hi-fashion quotient and appeal to the fashion connoisseurs of the city. We hope to grow bigger and better with every edition”.Bhanu Praveen, Marketing Manager, 1 MG - Lido Mall added, “We are excited about the upbeat fashion show and hope to take the 5th edition of Fashionable One a notch higher with each passing year”.Roby Varghese, Centre Manager, 1MG – Lido Mall commented, “It’s time for the community to get fashion forward this festive season with the latest in styles and trends from the multitude of brands across 1MG – Lido Mal”.Well known faces will walk the ramp and will feature the international and high end brands like Aldo, Hidesign, Marks and Spencer's, Fab India, DaMilano, FBB, Global Desi, AND, Smoor, Mac V, Ayesha, Konfo, Being Human others. Fashionable One is a signature annual fashion property of 1 MG – Lido Mall. The 2 day fashion extravaganza showcased the best of 2018’s styles from various fashion brands. In its 5th edition, in a row, the property has gone bigger and better each year.

Spell Bee League in association with NRN Aerospace Systems has organized “Spell Bee League Carnival”, a spelling fiesta for children on 16th December 2018 at The Kittur Rani Chennamma Stadium (Jayanagar), Bangalore. The daylong event will see over 1000 children from 1st – 10th standard participate in spelling competitions to win a grand prize of gifts worth 1 Lakh rupees. 32 Children will be selected for the Quarter Finals which will be held in the coming days

The event will also have a dedicated zone for parents where they will have access to a team of experienced mentors who will advise them on topics around parenting and career goals of children. Activities by International & National partner brands will include mind stimulating tasks for the future troopers. The event will also house a separate activity area for children, where a number of fun activities will be organized.

Speaking on the occasion, Madhu HS, Co-founder, Spell Bee League said “Spell Bee League Carnival is beyond just a spelling contest. We have taken this one notch higher with this event. Unique and innovative teaching techniques are gaining popularity across the globe. We have tied up with a few reputed partners who have been global leaders in the teaching domain. We aim to give children access to experiential and recreational activities that are way better than computer games and digital gadgets”

This program will be inaugurated by MLA of Jayanagar, Sowmya Reddy in the presence of local leaders and other dignitaries. The event will also mark the launch of #SpellBeeHive, a unique talent community for children of all age groups.

This event is being organized by Biz Wingz in association with NRN Aerospace Systems, Smart Kidz Club, School Travel App, Kydz Adda, Sanrakshan PTE Ltd Singapore, Faith Foundation Trust, PFA Wildlife Hospital, Hoopsters and Breathe Entertainment. Bengaluru’s leading radio station, Indigo 91.9 fm is the official radio partner for the event

Thursday, December 13, 2018

TVS Motor Company, a reputed manufacturer of two-wheelers and three-wheelers in the world, today, rolled out the 50,000 unit of the BMW 310cc motorcycle. The motorcycle was rolled out from the Hosur plant of the company in the presence of Dr. Markus Schramm, Head of BMW Motorrad, and Mr. KN Radhakrishnan, Director & CEO, TVS Motor Company.In April 2013, TVS Motor Company and BMW Motorrad signed a long-term strategic partnership to manufacture sub-500cc motorcycles for the globe. This collaboration has resulted in the launch of three products on the 310cc platform namely BMW G 310 R, BMW 310 GS and TVS Motor Company’s TVS Apache RR 310.Commenting on this milestone, KN Radhakrishnan, Director & CEO, TVS Motor Company, said, “Today is a significant milestone in our journey with BMW Motorrad. Over the course of this six-year partnership, we have had an opportunity to create a common learning platform for both the companies resulting in the creation of aspirational products for the global market. It is heartening to see BMW’s foray into sub 500cc segment meet with positive response across the globe. We are delighted to be a part of this success story.”Adding to that, Dr. Markus Schramm, Head of BMW Motorrad said, “Six years back, we took a crucial step with the decision to enter into the sub 500cc category in partnership with TVS Motor Company. In them, we found a perfect partner who have always stood for high quality and technology. We are delighted that we are rolling out the 50,000 unit of our 310 series motorcyclesin less than two years. This reaffirms our decision to offer BMW Motorrad quality-led premium products for the sub 500cc segment.”The exports for these two BMW Motorrad models, BMW G 310 R and BMW 310 GS, commenced in December 2016 and today, they are being offered in more than 90 countries.

Intersolar India organized its 10th Anniversary event in Bangalore. Bangalore, variously known as the IT, Innovation hub as well as Silicon Valley of India, has been associated with solar since the early nineties and since then has been part of the Indian solar growth story. The state of Karnataka also achieved the distinction of being the state with the highest solar installed capacity in India. It is therefore a tribute to the state of Karnataka and the city of Bangalore that Intersolar’s 10th Anniversary is held in Bangalore. The three-day exhibition and conference will open on 11th December. Over 300 exhibitors will participate and highlight their products and innovations in the Bangalore International Exhibition Centre. The co-located conference welcomes over 170 expert speakers and 1000 conference delegates in over 35 sessions and workshops. The event is designed to meet the varying needs of the various stakeholders: industry professionals, consultants, manufacturers, suppliers, developers, distributors, contractors, installers, integrators, financiers and investors but also, academicians, students and the large community of end users.The solar industry in India has been rapidly growing in the past five years. 10 GW of solar was added in 2017 and the total installed capacity now stands at 26 GW, with the ground mount systems accounting for a significant 22.5 GW. From being an insignificant market, India rose to become the third largest market globally in 2017. India also has stamped its role as a global driver of Solar establishing along with France, the International Solar Alliance. The growth in 2018 however slowed down owing particularly to issues like anti-dumping duties, interpretation of tax laws and cap on tariff. This year, therefore is witnessing a lower capacity addition of 7-8GW. With the 2021 deadline for 100 GW target approaching fast, the capacity addition has to be ramped up. The growth of the rooftop segment with a significant 40 GW target is hampered. There is therefore a need for all stakeholders to work together to stabilize the market dynamics. Driven by rising air quality and energy security concern, the importance of EV and energy storage is growing and government is drawing policies to drive these markets. These two segments together provide new growth opportunities for the solar companies. Also floating PV and agro PV are emerging new opportunities. The Intersolar India conference will have presentations and discussions by experts on key topics that would include India’s PV demand outlook, national energy storage mission, residential, commercial and industrial rooftops, new market opportunities like agro PV and floating PV, trackers, microgrids and hybrids. The 2018 Intersolar Executive Panel discussion will focus on “India's Renewable Energy Future”. In parallel to the conference, many Intersolar India content partners provide workshops on energy storage, quality assurance and standardization, de-risking investments, achieving excellence in rooftop installations, PV manufacturing and quality standards, microgrids will be organized in collaboration with reputed institutions like India Energy Storage Alliance (IESA), the National Institute of Solar Energy (NISE), TERI - The Energy and Resources Institute, Skill Council for Green Jobs (SCGJ), Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI), Fraunhofer and the Alliance for Rural Electrification (ARE).In another parallel track Kerala state’s renewable energy implementing agency ANERT will introduce their organization and also explain their various solar programs under the title “Rebuilding Kerala with Green Energy”. Swissnex of the Swiss Consul General will similarly organize two workshops, one on solar rooftop solutions and building energy efficiency and best practices in battery manufacturing.Among the more than 170 speakers are Vinay Rustagi, MD Bridge to India, Daniel Liu, Strategy Director Jinko Solar, Atul Arya, Head Energy Storage-Panasonic India, Dr. Anuvrat Joshi, Director-Cleantech Solar Dr. Ashok Das, Founder-Sunmoksha, Dr Alejandro Santis, Head Projects- BFH-Energy Storage Research Centre and Dr. Arul Shanmugasundaram, CTO-Tata Power Solar.An exclusive program for students to promote the next generation of solar professionals and entrepreneurs has been arranged. Students will get an opportunity to learn from successful young entrepreneurs on their journey in building successful solar business and interact with them. Furthermore an intensive PV training program organized by White House Solar, a leading PV training institution in the US, will cover basics of PV, market development, different types of PV systems and their installation with hands-on demonstration over the two-day training.Another added attraction is the 1st India Africa Youth Energy Symposium under which two panel discussions will be held one on “Bottlenecks in Energy Law and Policy” and another on Decentralization of Energy Infrastructure and Capacity Building – Role of Industry and Academia“.The conference and workshops will take place in Gulmohar, Cassia, Hibiscus and Parijatha Hall in the Conference Centre of the Bangalore International Exhibition Centre (BIEC).Numerous exhibitors will make a presentation on their innovations and products at the Innovation Stage at Booth 2064 covering a wide range of topics including EV charging, AI and IOT based solutions, innovative materials for roofing and solar thermal systems, energy measurement and management, cleaning and system maintenance, inverters and power electronic systems.Each of the Intersolar India Conference Tickets enables access to the 10th Anniversary Networking Reception and Solar Power Developer’s night on the first exhibition and conference day. Conference delegates, VIPs and exhibitors will be able to celebrate 10 powerful years of Intersolar India with drinks, finger food and a great atmosphere.With a well-rounded conference touching upon key current topics and focused workshops that address specific areas of interest, the Intersolar India conference offers a platform and meeting point for enhancing knowledge, share valuable learnings and success stories and finding solutions to challenges helping the solar industry grow.

Vivo, the innovative global smartphone brand, is excited to announce the initialization of their second manufacturing facility in India. The company has acquired additional 169-acre of land in the Yamuna Expressway region in Uttar Pradesh with an estimated investment of Rs 4000 crore (not including land cost). Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Yogi Adityanath welcomed the initiative and congratulated Vivo for the upcoming facility.

The new land has been acquired near the existing 50-acre manufacturing facility and will help expand Vivo’s manufacturing capabilities and support Vivo’s continued growth in India.

Commenting on the announcement, Nipun Marya, Director-Brand Strategy, Vivo India said, “Vivo entered India in 2014 with a commitment to bring product innovation, focus and value to our consumers. India is a key market for us, and today we have reiterated our commitment by entering the next phase of growth in India, all the while aligning ourselves with the ‘Make in India’ initiative. Additionally, we’re proud that the new plant will offer a major benefit to the surrounding area through high-quality job creation and training opportunities.”

All Vivo smartphones sold in the country are manufactured at the Greater Noida facility which is one of Vivo’s four manufacturing facilities globally.

Vivo’s new manufacturing facility will help achieve its vision of providing best-in-class mobile phones with an affordable pricing in addition to the already existing facility at Greater Noida. The existing manufacturing set-up, which saw an investment of Rs 300 crore already functions at a capacity of 2 million units per month with more than 5,000 workforce.

Vivo will also contribute significantly to the socio-economic growth of the manufacturing ecosystem in India by way of creating additional jobs, wage growth and skill development for factory floor workers as it hopes to generate 5000 additional employment in the first phase of expansion. During this phase, Vivo also plans to double the current production capacity to 50 million units per annum.

Benelave, from the house of HSIL, the largest ceramics in India, has signed leading Bollywood actor Shraddha Kapoor as its brand ambassador to elevate brand awareness and visibility.Benelave offers a wide range of bath space products to suit the needs of value-seeking consumers. It is a brand for young Indians who are looking for good designs coupled with modern aesthetics for their bathrooms.Commenting on the new association, Sandip Somany, Vice Chairman and Managing Director, HSIL Limited said, “Shraddha is one of India’s most loved youth icon, and we believe that our core audience resonates with her grounded and girl-next-door personality. We are excited as this association will enable us explore new avenues for our continued growth and success.”He further added, “Benelave is on a high growth trajectory and is doing extremely well in in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities since its launch a few years ago. Shraddha’s versatile acting skills have made her extremely popular among the masses and this association will help us widen our existing consumer base”“HSIL is one of the most trusted and iconic companies in India and I am delighted to be their brand ambassador. It is great to see that HSIL is not only committed towards delivering unmatched designs and quality in their offerings, but also towards creating welcoming bath spaces for the entire family.” said Shraddha Kapoor on the new partnership.Shraddha will be the face of Benelave’s upcoming campaigns. She joins the likes of Shahrukh Khan, Jacqueline Fernandez among others, who already front HSIL various bath space brands. Benelave encompasses the entire bathroom category with various offerings under faucets, showers, sanitaryware, accessories and allied products. Over the years, HSIL Limited has bolstered its distribution network for Benelave with 100 distributors and 2500 retailers across 300 cities.

Array Networks Inc., a network functions platform company, today announced the immediate availability of its vAPV virtual application delivery controller on the Google Cloud Marketplace. Running on Google Compute Engine, Array's virtual ADC provides organizations deploying applications or services on Google Cloud the ability to enhance the availability, performance and security of these applications and services either in a pure public cloud environment or in conjunction with private datacenters. What's more, the availability of the vAPV virtual application delivery controller on Google Cloud Platform enables new deployment models for customers seeking portability and utility pricing for applications and services.

"We are very pleased to join the Google Cloud Platform Marketplace and offer our application delivery solutions that are optimized for Google Cloud," said Paul Andersen, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Array Networks. "The ability to deploy on Google Cloud is an important step toward our vision of supporting our customers' business-critical applications whenever and wherever they choose to deploy them."

Array's vAPV virtual application delivery controller has been verified for compatibility with Google Cloud, helping to ensure reliability and ease of deployment and use. Array offers perpetual, monthly and yearly subscription licenses on a bring-your-own-license (BYOL) basis for Google Cloud.

In an effort to empower enterprises with a comprehensive disbursement and payments solution, OBOPAY, the global financial technology company, today announced the launch of a new generation pre-payment instrument in partnership with Federal Bank and Mastercard.

Enterprises often have to deal with legacy systems for disbursements and payments to employees and ecosystem partners. At the same time, users have to use different modes for different payments like, bank accounts for using salary, digital wallets for payments, food coupons, insurance cards for insurance claim, etc. All these existing solutions are restrictive in terms of their usage and there are gaps existing in these systems. The OBOPAY card is built as a one-stop solution that addresses all needs of the enterprise and users seamlessly and can be used at over three million Mastercard outlets in India.

The highlights of the card include unique innovations such as the multi-wallet facility that allows dedicated payments and allocation of money for various purposes, the ‘Split transaction’ feature which provides payment flexibility to users and multiple payment scenarios among many others. While Cardholders will be able to use the OBOPAY card as a prepaid card, the card will also provide them with a host of additional features such as card to card money transfer, making online payments, withdrawing cash at ATMs among many others. The card can be availed by all the business entities including corporate, distributor – retailer ecosystem, colleges, factories etc. The account can be operated with zero minimum balance and the users will not be levied any service charge on usage.

Commenting on the card launch, Shailendra Naidu, CEO, OBOPAY, said “Launch of OBOPAY card is another significant landmark in our journey as it reinstates our position as a global mobile payment solutions company. We are delighted to join hands with Mastercard and Federal Bank for promoting digitization and creating a robust digital payments solution which will provide end users with the highest level of convenience. OBOPAY will play a vital role in facilitating the program management and customer life cycle management for the end-users. The Card is a customer-centric innovation from OBOPAY and we are keen that it helps us do our bit for the cause of Financial Inclusion.”

Vikas Varma, Senior Vice President, South Asia, Mastercard said, “Mastercard is excited to partner with OBOPAY and Federal Bank to provide a convenient and safe payment method to the Indian consumers. OBOPAY card will encourage the use of digital payments for several needs, where the consumers often use cash. This initiative also highlights Mastercard’s continuous commitment to bring digitally empowered financial inclusion to life, especially in tier 2 & 3 cities in India.

The OBOPAY card is a holistic payment ecosystem in itself as it caters to the needs of users, corporates and merchants and addresses multiple payment gaps that exist for corporates, distribution companies, EPC players, Pharma industry etc., which do not have a complete solution for all types of disbursements and payments to their employees, daily wage earners, distributors, retailers, doctors, etc. OBOPAY card is an answer to all the aforesaid concerns. The card has multi-wallets facility with each wallet having the potential to handle a distinct and specific role/ usage as required. Users can use this card for multiple payments such as, bank accounts for using salary, digital wallets for payments, food coupons for food coupons, insurance cards for insurance claim, etc.

Royal Stag has partnered with the International Cricket Council (ICC) that further strengthens the brand’s ties with Cricket, the sport loved by more than one billion adult fans the world over. The partnership, which runs through 2023, confirms Royal Stag as official sponsors of cricket's international events, including the upcoming big-ticket calendar events – the ICC Cricket World Cup, ICC T20 World Cup and ICC World Test Championship.Cricket has always been central to Royal Stag’s brand communication. Over the years, the brand’s continuous association with the world’s top cricketers has bolstered its engagement with cricket lovers across the country.“Royal Stag has always stood by its brand philosophy of “Make It Large” – inspiring people to dream large and be the creators of their own destiny. In India cricket transcends from being a sport to a religion, with an ever-increasing set of devoted cricket lovers. Our journey with cricket started in 2000 and since then we have only strengthened our brand associations with the sport, creating a huge impact on cricket fans across the country”, says Kartik Mohindra, CMO, Pernod Ricard India.Commenting on the deal, Kartik Mohindra further added, “Our aim is to share the excitement of the game with cricket fans around the world. Partnering with ICC, one of the most coveted sports bodies in the world, allows us to deliver a truly “Make it Large” experience for die-hard cricket fans, especially with the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup around the corner”.On this momentous occasion, Guillaume Girard-Reydet, MD, Pernod Ricard India said, “We are delighted to partner with the prestigious International Cricket Council, and look forward to an action-packed calendar in the next five years of which two events in India only. As India gets ready to host two of these upcoming tournaments, this partnership firmly cements our position in the international sports arena. We continue to stay committed to the sport and cherish the spirit of the game.”Commenting on the agreement, David Richardson, Chief Executive, International Cricket Council, said: "The ICC is pleased to welcome Royal Stag on board as our Proud Partner. We look forward to working together for the next five years in delivering a meaningful experience to cricket fans across ICC global events.”

ThoughtWorks, a global software consultancy celebrated the completion of ‘Interning with Pride,’ a unique internship program designed exclusively for candidates from the LGBTQI+ community. The unique 5-month program was organized at the company’s Hyderabad office with an aim to provide graduates with a safe space to pursue their technical ambitions.

The program received 57 entrees out of which a total of 4 were shortlisted. The program helped interns sharpen their programming skills through hands-on sessions on object-oriented programming practices and principles. It also provided them with exposure to both, agile practices and the latest industry trends. After successful completion of the internship, ThoughtWorks extended job offers to all 4 interns.

Speaking on completion of the successful pilot internship program, Tina Vinod, Diversity and Inclusion Head at ThoughtWorks India said, “We always have and will continue to stand in solidarity with India’s LGBTQI+ community. We truly hope the success of our ‘Interning with Pride’ program encourages many more organizations to run similar initiatives that will embrace and promote diversity in all its forms.”

During the course of the paid internship, candidates were provided with accommodations, laptops and travel support.

Karthik D and Jayanthi, who were amongst the 4 interns extended job offers, they said, “‘Interning With Pride’ helped hone our technical and communication skills amidst open conversations. The intensive training program was set in an environment that encouraged discussion of the LGBTQI+ history, culture, and issues. This experience affirmed our belief in the power of LGBTQI+ allies. We are extremely excited to work at ThoughtWorks and are proud to have been part of the pilot ‘Interning with Pride’ program.”

ThoughtWorkers, Archana Chillala and Srujan Kumar Bojjam who anchored the ‘Interning with Pride’ program added to this positive sentiment by saying, “This internship program has helped us engineer a more aware and inclusive workplace than we had before. At every step of the project, our intention was to ensure the safety and comfort of all the interns which in turn empowered them to bring their authentic selves to work, and do their best work as they felt both, comfortable and confident. Today, we are extremely proud to have such passionate and inquisitive technologists join us as full-time employees.”

‘Interning with Pride’ aligns with ThoughtWorks’ core belief that diversity of thoughts, perspectives, ideas, and solutions enhance innovation. The program is part of ThoughtWorks’ efforts to make the company and the technology industry more inclusive and reflective of the society that we live in. For updates on future editions of the internship program, watch this space.

BT is partnering with the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), one of India’s leading research institutions, to launch a new collaborative research centre in Bangalore, it was announced today.The new BT India Research Centre (BTIRC) will join BT’s network of collaborative research facilities around the globe, including centres in Northern Ireland, China, the US, and the UAE. These global locations support the company’s strategic research agenda, generate insight into emerging technologies and develop new generations of products and services for BT and its customers. This global innovation network is centred on the BT Labs at Adastral Park, Suffolk, UK, one of the world’s leading centres for telecommunications research.The BTIRC will focus on the development of cutting-edge artificial intelligence, mobility and cyber-security technologies for use in BT’s strategic programmes, products and services. The centre’s structure and organisation will follow a well-established model used for the company’s other global research locations, combining academic, industry and government partnerships and BT’s own commercial and research expertise.Howard Watson, Chief Technology and Information Officer, BT, said: “India is an IT and technology powerhouse. We’re proud of our long-standing presence there, which is second only to the UK in terms of our global footprint, with over 10,300 people in the technology, service and support areas serving our customers around the world. The BT India Research Centre will create an exciting new hub for communications innovation, in partnership with the Indian Institute of Science, building new collaborative links between the UK and India in this crucial technology sector that is so central to economic growth.”Prof Anurag Kumar, Director IISc said: “Collaboration between academia and the industry is essential for making progress in the complex emerging telecommunications technologies. This will be a partnership between one of India’s premier research institutes, and a world leader in telecom technology and services. We at IISc are looking forward to exciting research results and new technologies emerging from this partnership.In July 2018, BT opened a new Cyber Security Operations Centre (Cyber SOC) in Gurugram. Using a range of advanced cyber security tools, the Cyber SOC monitors threats against BT’s own assets and its customers’ networks on a 24/7 basis, and is able to detect, analyse and mitigate cyber threats in real-time. The Cyber SOC will initially employ around 100 cyber security specialists, in addition to the team of 250 security people based separately in Gurugram, and signifies BT’s commitment to investing in its security capabilities in the region.BT has a long history of working with leading Indian universities on the development of new technologies and is a significant employer of highly-skilled IT and technology experts in Bangalore and other locations across India. The BTIRC will complement BT’s existing relationship with the Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology, Delhi, which is focused on elastic optical networks and quantum key distribution technologies.

Axis Bank, the country’s third largest private bank, has launched ‘QuikPay Home Loan’, a first-of-its-kind home loan offering that will let home buyers save big on the interest amount component of the loan. Essentially, as against the industry norm, QuikPay Home Loan will offer an alternative repayment structure, wherein the customer repays an equal amount of principal every month along with interest on the outstanding balance. Thus an equated principal amount combined with reducing interest amount component will lead to reducing monthly instalments. As a result, there will be an overall reduction in total interest amount component paid over the entire tenure of the home loan, thereby benefitting the customer.Instead of EMIs (equated monthly instalments), the customer will pay reducing monthly instalments. While the initial instalments will be higher (than the EMI on the same loan amount for the same tenure), the instalment amount keeps reducing throughout the loan tenure.Speaking at the launch, Rajiv Anand, Executive Director (Retail Banking), Axis Bank, said, “For the benefit of our customers, we have launched QuikPay Home Loan, which is an innovative product that will reduce the overall interest burden on the borrower. We are confident that this unique concept of ‘reducing monthly instalments’, along with big savings on interest, will be an attractive proposition for home buyers.”To illustrate the offering, let’s consider a typical home loan of Rs. 50 lacs for a 20 years at 9.00% pa. This loan will have a total interest outgo of Rs. 57.96 lacs over 20 years for the customer. However, with Axis Bank’s QuikPay Home Loans, for a loan of Rs. 50 lacs for the same tenure, even with a slightly higher annual rate of interest of 9.20%, the overall interest outgo will be only Rs 46.19 lacs, thereby resulting in an overall saving of Rs 11.77 lac for the customer.Refer to the annexure for a detailed comparative break-up of the loan repayment schedule.

Staqu, the Gurgaon-based artificial intelligence start-up has joined hands with Tech Mahindra, UK. The association is focused on powering content distribution in the European market with relevant and contextual recommendations, whilst creating use-cases to usher in new monetisation opportunities. The association follows Staqu’s win at the Tech Rocketship Award, 2017-18, which exposed it to UK’s world-leading growth ecosystem of VCs, advisors, customers and support networks, thus begetting opportunities to springboard its business internationally.Enterprises in the European market are required to ethically leverage data and respect the privacy of users, following the General Data Protection Regulation. With Staqu’s proven expertise in cross-content recommendations, video and image analysis, Tech Mahindra would be able to offer its users relevant and contextual content, while completely abiding by the GDPR.Commenting on the association, Manish Upadhyay, Head of Entertainment and Media, Tech Mahindra for UK, Ireland, and South Europe Market said, “Staqu is a fast-growing AI start-up with proven expertise in contextual and relevant content recommendations. The alliance with Tech Mahindra will help to fuel co-innovation for Media and Entertainment customers in the UK. Tech Mahindra and Staqu are building some use cases jointly to create new monetisation models for media and Entertainment industry in the UK.”Atul Rai, Co-Founder & CEO of Staqu further added, “It is a great opportunity for us to partner with Tech Mahindra and introduce our AI-based cross-content recommendation engine in the European market. Today’s users are extremely cautious about their data privacy and require content distribution to be relevant and contextual. With previously proven expertise in the domain, we are glad to partner with Tech Mahindra and power content distribution via content recommendations that are contextual and relevant to the users.”The innovation being brought together by Tech Mahindra and Staqu would understand the content consumption patterns, without obscurely mining data. Furthermore, by understanding the individual behaviour of users, the AI-powered recommendation engine would aid relevant and contextual content distribution, completely removing any scope for blind recommendations.

The principal sponsors of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI), Tata Motors Commercial Vehicles Business Unit (CVBU) has set up the ‘Tata Motors Elite Wrestlers Development Program’ to promote, encourage and develop rising Indian wrestlers and prepare them for the Olympic Gold medals at the 2020 Tokyo Games. The program will support the players with best possible training and coaching facilities, enabled by renowned foreign coaches, support staff and international exposureTo prepare the players for the Olympic glory @ Tokyo 2020 & Paris 2024 Olympic Games, Tata Motors Commercial Vehicle Business will help nurture an international standard eco system for athlete support to help India create a new success story at the greatest global platforms. The program will appoint top class foreign coaches for both men and women squads ,best possible support staff who will work both on the physical & mental development of the athletes and organize premium exposure trips for the elite Indian wrestlers so that they train and hone themselves according to the global training standards. The support staff will include experienced physiotherapists, biomechanics, mental trainers and nutritionists. In addition, Tata Motors will also provide insurance cover to the Indian Wrestlers.Speaking on the occasion, Girish Wagh, President, CVBU, Tata Motors, said, “Tata Motors, in line with its Group’s heritage has constantly looked at encouraging sports and promoting sporting talent across India and overseas. Wrestling as a homegrown sport has definitely grown in popularity and needs further support in enhancing talent. We are strengthening our association with WFI by directing our efforts to promote, train and develop wrestling talent with advance coaching and international sporting experience. We hope these initiatives help the Indian team to perform better. Our best wishes to the team for the forthcoming Tokyo 2020 & Paris 2024 Olympic games."Commenting on the partnership, Brijbhushan Sharan Singh, President – Wrestling Federation of India said, " Tata Motors coming on board as Indian Wrestling’s development partner will go a long way in creating a strong sporting ecosystem and strengthening our elite program. These facilities will help wrestlers focus fully on themselves and prepare for the toughest tests before winning medals for the country. WFI is grateful for the trust shown in the Federation by Tata Motors and strongly believes that this binding and cooperation will eventually help make a strong beginning for wrestling in India ".The event will also observe handing over of central contract to the wrestlers. For the first time in the history of Indian Sports, Tata Motors, along with WFI has announced central contracts to a sport other than Cricket, assuring guaranteed benefits to Indian Wrestlers. The central contracts are annual retainers that will be spread across 150 players as per grades and assure basic annual earnings for the players, through the sport.Today, sports with the energy and dynamism is a major platform to connect with people across India – both masses as well as classes. Wrestling is a homegrown sport that reflects machismo, aggression and endurance that tests speed, agility and power, and are gaining popularity in India and overseas. These attributes blend perfectly with the rich heritage, longevity, durability and robust performance of our Commercial Vehicles. This association will provide Tata Motors the platform to reach out to various stakeholders and the public at large.

Wednesday, December 12, 2018

PlanetSpark, a Gurugram-based EdTech startup on a mission to make traditional tuitions obsolete through powerful and gamified learn-tech products and certified teachers in K8 segment, has been infused with funds worth Rs 1.6 crore by FIITJEE, India’s leading education company. PlanetSpark will use the funds to rapidly grow its existing 200+ home based tuition centers by close to 350% to 750+ home-based tuition centers across Delhi NCR and beyond. The funds will also be used to develop powerful, heuristic, gamified learn-tech products for an integrated instructional learning experience.“At its core, PlanetSpark is a tech company aiming to organize the unorganized market of tuitions in India through scalable tech solutions. We firmly believe that the era of boring tuitions is over and the vast and unorganized tuitions market is ripe for getting organized through full stack tutoring model, following the trend in other markets like transportation, logistics, food delivery or ecommerce. Parents don’t want to send their children to unverified and uncertified tuition teachers any more and they are ready to prefer a professional brand which brings game-based learning models, instructional content, and technological backing and mobile apps," stated Kunal Malik, Co-founder, PlanetSpark.With a 'Blended Learning' approach to teaching school subjects) to preteens, the startup combines Face to face Classroom learning and tech-based learning. The company develops gamified learning content such as mobile based learning games, educational cartoons, learning activity boxes, workbooks and board games and partners with qualified homemakers and helps them start their home based tech enabled tuition centers using PlanetSpark’s gamified teaching content, technology and training.“We are clear that the future of early and primary education lies in a Blended Approach to learning where one combines face-to-face teaching with technology. It is a known fact that purely online “learning apps” don’t work as one cannot eliminate the human element of a teacher, especially for younger kids. At the same time, just face to face learning models are neither scalable nor make the learning process fun and gamified using Tech. Hence the sweet spot lies in Blended Learning,” said Maneesh Dhooper, Co-founder, PlanetSpark.In order to create highly engaging games and learning cartoons for children, the company’s game development team has designed two product innovations that can create a learning game or a learning cartoon within a few hours. This would help the company exponentially scale its content offerings to more subjects and classes in the coming months.Commenting on the development, D. K. Goel, Chairman Emeritus Fiitjee Group, said, "The home based blended learning model of Planet Spark is poised to empower teachers, students and parents in the learning process."

The team is now gearing-up for the release of its learning tablet which has been developed as a series of story-based learning adventures designed by Russian game design experts. The company plans to scale-up to 5 more cities in the next academic year to spread the joy of learning pan-India!

QuEST Global, the pioneering engineering services provider, has announced plans to strengthen its presence in Sharonville, Ohio. The company intends to add more than 60 new jobs in the State of Ohio with $3.9 million in new payroll at their engineering services center in Cincinnati. With this addition of engineering and aerospace professionals, the company will be better equipped to serve its customers and increase its competitiveness in the aerospace industry across the globe.After evaluating several locations, QuEST Global selected Sharonville to augment its aerospace engineering workforce in the US. As part of this initiative, the City of Sharonville will provide QuEST a job creation incentive and the Ohio Tax Credit Authority approved a 1.898 percent, seven-year Job Creation Tax Credit for this project.“QuEST’s decision to reinvest and expand operations in our Northern Lights District is a testament to the District’s viability as a mixed-use area that blends office, cultural, hospitality and entertainment uses,” said Chris Xeil Lyons, Economic Development Director, City of Sharonville, Ohio.“Regional Economic Development Initiative (REDI) Cincinnati is thrilled to partner with QuEST Global to help them grow their presence in Greater Cincinnati,” said Kimm Lauterbach, President & CEO, REDI Cincinnati. “We know that engineering services companies like QuEST Global can grow here because Greater Cincinnati has the right mix of affordability and skilled talent.”"QuEST has been an integral part of the State of Ohio since 1994 and helping grow the community through investments in local talent and infrastructure. Our unique synergy with customers and the ability to expand in various global markets through our integrated local – global delivery approach has helped us bring valuable engineering jobs to the region. QuEST Global is committed to invest and create more jobs in the State of Ohio that will enable us to provide innovative solutions to our customers across the globe,” said Dr. Mani Subramanian, VP - Global Technology Solutions, QuEST Global.“We are excited about QuEST’s decision to invest and add 60 new aerospace engineering jobs in Sharonville,” said Glenn Richardson, Managing Director for Aerospace and Aviation, JobsOhio. “QuEST’s expansion will grow engineering talent in Southwest Ohio and it will play a critical role in helping the company meet growing demand for its engineering services worldwide.”

Tuesday, December 11, 2018

By AV Antao, Chief Operating Officer, Synergy Property Development ServicesTechnology plays a pivotal role in shaping Indian construction industry. One new-gen technology that is gaining interest in the construction industry is the usage of drones. It is poised to serve as an effective medium towards building smart cities in a cost-effective, faster and safer manner with optimum utilisation of skills and efforts. It is expected that in the next 10 years, the use of drones in construction will register a manifold growth and will play a leading role in futuristic buildings.According to a recent industry report, India is one of the fastest growing markets for UAVs and by 2021, the Indian UAV market is expected to reach USD 885.7 million. The usage of drones in the construction industry, has seen a 239% growth year-over-year globally, higher than any other commercial sector. In India too, the growth is set to increase manifold.In the present scenario, it is very crucial for India to realise the aerial revolution that can be brought about by the proper utilisation of drones which have emerged as a highly viable commercial tool globally. As a matter of fact, the most notable sector of economy being benefitted by drones is construction. There’s no denying on the fact that there is an unstoppable rise of commercial drones; a market set to be worth billions over the coming years.There are numerous safety and legal implications that one should be aware of, as well as the differences between the commercial and personal use of drones. Despite increasing adoption and regulation, there is still tremendous growth in the use of drones in construction. Drones can add significant value to a project throughout its lifecycle.The areas where drone technology will benefit the construction process:Improvised quality and thermal imagingThe quality of the scans and aerial imagery provided by the cameras mounted on top of the drones are undeniably superior. Drones equipped with high-resolution thermal cameras serve as an excellent investigative tool for a host of building-specific applications and energy efficiency audits, including roof insulation inspection. They can also graphically depict energy inefficiencies and identify wet insulations in the roof or elsewhere by displaying temperature variations within the building.Drones integration with BIMDrones have proved themselves to be an asset for data-driven approach and thus can effectively undertake numerous tasks to aid the BIM (Building Information Modeling) workflow. Giving an aerial perspective in the creation of the initial BIM, drones also provide scalable point cloud scanning and photography at different stages of construction.Highly cost-effective in topographical surveysA drone carrying out standard survey and inspection activities is undoubtedly a significant cost-effective approach, as it removes the need for any kind of monetary or physical efforts put in for the surveys. As an example, for a typical topographic survey, the use of a drone can help to reduce costs by approximately 50%.Ensuring completion of projectsThe use of drones completely eradicates the need of shutting down active work sites for the concerns of maintaining and inspecting work like pipeline or flare stacks, which can be carried out safely under UAV supervision. Drones also monitor site activity and provide a comprehensive overview of the site through land surveying. Therefore, it is highly efficient in reducing the timeframe for the process of construction leading to a speedy delivery of the projects.Reducing risk and keeping people safeDrones help in minimising the possibility of risk by being monitored to perform a task. The UAV technology thus helps in supporting the drive towards zero incidents onsite as it takes away some of the risks from the construction activities like the need for labourers to work at heights when inspecting assets like bridges. UAVs and drones are effective in conducting safer, faster and more accurate inspections instead of safety managers, who physically conduct the site walk-throughs to identify potential hazards.Compact and intelligent resultsAcute 3D software can dramatically enhance productivity by turning a simple series of digital photos taken with a smart camera. When these cameras are mounted on drones they give a 360-degree overview of the project into a 3D reality mesh model. The result is a compact, intelligent representation of the asset in its current operating context. This also eases out the task for engineers and designers allowing them to work on an up-to-date 3D model for their enhancement and maintenance plans.Drones are tools that will play a fundamental role in ensuring that the construction industry can deliver huge and complex projects with a better finishing and on-time results.

With this launch AOPEN has entrusted Acer to market, sell, and handle the after-sales service of its monitors and related accessories globally. As an Acer subsidiary, AOPEN can leverage the Acer Group’s global footprint to create greater synergy and efficiency in operations.AOPEN is known for its expertise in high-quality monitors and this move with Acer brings deep knowledge of the Indian market with a vast network of partners and service centers to leverage on. Customers will be spoiled for choice with high-quality offerings serving a wide use case right from entry level to curved screen gaming monitors.Commenting on the launch, Chandrahas Panigrahi, CMO & Consumer Business Head, Acer India said “We are delighted to bring AOPEN Gaming Monitors to India. With this, Acer hopes to open up the monitor market in India with more specialized models right from entry level to curved screen gaming monitor all at a very tantalizing price point. The demand for PC monitors has been phenomenal so far, and with AOPEN Monitors on board we are excited to offer even more variety of monitors. We are confident that the AOPEN series will amaze the users with its features like 1800R curvature, providing cinematic viewing experience and wide-angle view for powerful performance.”Uncompromising Gaming Feature:AOPEN Gaming Monitor are ideal for users who want to be enthralled in gaming. It brings games to life in super sharp colors with upto QHD display, VA ZeroFrame, 1800R curved display and features like rapid 144Hz Refresh Rate, 4ms response time it delivers an ultra-smooth 2D motion images. The in-built technology eliminates screen tearing when fast-moving objects buzz across the screen to deliver a smooth gaming experience. The fast refresh rate is being increasingly coveted by players for making quick and accurate in-game maneuvers while the AMD FreeSync technology puts an end to choppy gameplay and broken frames with fluid, artifact-free performance at virtually any frame rate.Beautifully craftedThe beautifully designed monitors perfectly complements your space, whether be it a living room or an intense battle filled gaming room with design features like curved screen, thin bezel and metal stand. Designed for Visual Treat:AOPEN monitors have Optimize Image Quality where it takes low-res images and bumps them up a notch and gives Ultra HD feel. It also uses unique form of 6-axis color adjustment in order to aid professionals in obtaining the exact color and hue they prefer. With this feature, the user can adjust hue and saturation in 6 axis. These axis range from R, G, B to C, M and Y, and allow the user to cater the monitor’s colors to their professional needs. The curved screen models puts every corner of the screen at the same distance from the user’s eyes, providing a uniform viewing experience and reducing eye strain during long periods of viewing. It also presents a more immersive experience with a wider field of view and increased perceived area of peripheral vision compared to a flat display of the same sizeAnti-Glare Feature:To round out the gaming experience, AOPEN monitor series feature Low Blue Light which filters out harmful blue light by adjusting OSD settings and also it’s been enabled with Flicker-less technology which eliminates annoying screen flicker, and provide comfortable viewing experience.Pricing and AvailabilityStarting at Rs. 19990 the AOPEN gaming monitors will be available in India from Amazon exclusively. AOPEN has entrusted Acer to market, sell, and handle the after-sales service of its monitors and related accessories globally. To find out about availability, product specifications and prices in specific markets, please contact your nearest Acer office or retailer.